Travelers could be paying the highest gas prices for Thanksgiving period

While prices have dropped recently, the price per gallon is still higher than last year.

While gas prices have been dropping recently, drivers in the York area still might be paying an all-time record high for the Thanksgiving holiday.

Gas prices in the York area averaged $3.57 Thursday, said Patrick DeHaan, senior petroleum analyst with GasBuddy.com. That's still 15 cents higher than at the same time a year ago.

He doubts that the gas prices will dip lower than the low- to mid-$3.50 range in the next few weeks, meaning that drivers likely will be paying they most they ever have at the pump during the Thanksgiving holiday.

AAA noted a similar finding in its annual Thanksgiving travel forecast. The national average last year was $3.32 a gallon, which was "the most expensive average on Thanksgiving," a news release states.

The association expects the national average price to be "similar" to last year, with prices between $3.25 and $3.40 a gallon, the news release states.

Many drivers probably do not remember what they were paying at the pumps a year ago, DeHaan said. They watch the price of gas daily, which has dropped about 26 cents a gallon in the past month.

"They don't feel prices are a record high," he said.

Some drivers said they aren't surprised.

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"It is what it is," Kathi Patierno of York Township said. "...What are you going to do about it? You have to pay the price."

Patierno said she doesn't know what the solution is -- if there is one -- except for developing alternative energy.

Tammy Lupold of Manchester Township said she travels to see family in the central part of Pennsylvania, and she'll be doing so for Thanksgiving as well.

"We travel a lot. It doesn't surprise me," she said of the gas prices.

While the U.S. economy has improved, it isn't the whole picture, DeHaan said. People in developing countries, such as China, are buying cars and increasing the demand for gasoline.

Thanksgiving travel

AAA predicts a 0.7 percent increase in the number of people who will travel 50 miles or more during the Thanksgiving holiday weekend, according to the news release.

The association expects 90 percent of travelers to go by automobile, the news release states. Airline travel will be down slightly from 3.2 million last year to 3.14 million this year.

Harrisburg International Airport expects 18,000 to 19,000 air travelers to pass through the airport between Wednesday and Monday, said Scott Miller, the Susquehanna Area Regional Airport Authority deputy director of marketing and public relations.

That's about the same number of travelers as last year, he said. Air fares have gone up because of the price of fuel.

No nor'easter

The weather pattern will remain quiet for the next week or so for York County, said Mike Pigott, senior meteorologist with AccuWeather.com.

A storm that at one point had looked like it might affect the area for Thanksgiving week now is not expected to move up the coast, Pigott said.

The storm is predicted to move towards Bermuda and then affect Newfoundland.

Travelers heading to the Pacific Northwest might face some travel delays because of snow in the mountains and rain in the valleys, Pigott said.

For York County, it's expected to be partly or mostly cloudy for the week with temperatures in the 50s, he said. There is a chance of a shower Thursday or Friday.